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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stock — shares
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stock — goods
  5. present — there
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. current — happening now
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kid — child
  14. snap — to click
  15. present — a gift
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — music
  19. current — electric
  20. kid — to tease
  21. present — the time now
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com